Man pleads guilty in YouTube threats to shoot McHenry County judge, Barrington Hills police

A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to making YouTube videos in which he threatened to shoot a McHenry County judge, as well as Barrington Hills police officers.Joel Koskinen, 36, who lives in the Barrington Hills area, pleaded guilty to counts in two separate cases of threatening a public official, Class 3 felonies, according to a judgment order filed in McHenry County court.In one case, he was accused of creating a YouTube video in June in which he threatened to shoot the judge in the face. At the time, Koskinen was on pretrial release in a case from June 2025 in which he was accused of threatening to shoot and kill Barrington Hills police officers, records show.In each case, he was sentenced to 18 months of felony probation, during which time he is ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment and follow all recommendations. He is to refrain from alcohol, marijuana and all other narcotics not prescribed by a doctor, according to the judgment orders.Koskinen was also sentenced to 180 days in j